Episode 10: The Most Chaotic Day Ever
Surviving Fiji, Episode 10: The Most Chaotic Day Ever by David Bloomberg -- 04/20/2007 There are two immunity idols in play, plus an immunity necklace. But even more importantly, there are several players in play who are, well, playing both sides! All this leads to what they all agree is the most chaotic day ever. How does it all turn out? Last week, we saw a twist that completely screwed Michelle (though there were of course other reasons for her loss as well) after Dreamz decided not to vote with Mookie. Why did he do that? We don’t know yet (though one of our writers gave it a guess). Hopefully, all will be made clear this week – though I doubt it. Let’s find out! The four remaining players from the Tribal Council group arrive back at camp that night as the others are guessing whether Michelle or Stacy are gone. Mookie tells us he’s upset because he had talked to Dreamz about voting off Stacy, but he went and voted off Michelle! He basically screwed them both. Mookie and Alex talk and Mookie convinces him it was just miscommunication and he thought they were sticking with the plan to get rid of Stacy first. But Alex wants to ensure the final four is sealed in blood (his words, not mine) – by rotating possession of the immunity idol so each of them get it for a day. Mookie says it does nothing, but Alex says it shows nobody can screw over the other. Um. Wrong. Once somebody other than Mookie has the idol, the other person can simply hold it and they can vote out Mookie. I sure as hell wouldn’t do it! Alex keeps up the pressure, saying they were all digging for it and Mookie happened to find it first. Now he’s saying he will only part with it on his terms. Mookie disagrees with that characterization, but we don’t get to see the resolution, if there is any. Mookie next talks to Dreamz, saying he’s screwed because of Alex wanting the idol. Dreamz says to tell him no, but Mookie says that means the four horsemen will be dead. Dreamz suggests they recruit because they have numbers elsewhere, but Mookie is getting incredibly frustrated and tells Dreamz he screwed up everything with his vote. Dreamz tells us when Michelle started talking, she said she doesn’t really know him and never hung around with him. That made him realize that the same is true in reverse and he didn’t really know what alliance she was in. It scared him a little, which caused him to vote her out. The next morning, Earl tells us he is very disappointed that Stacy came back and it turned all his plans around. Boo approaches Earl and suggests that he become the swing vote and they go to the final five with the two of them, Cassandra, Yau-Man, and Dreamz. All the others are backstabbers, he says. However, he doesn’t think Dreamz will help them vote out Alex first because he likes Alex. Earl tells us he doesn’t buy that Boo is with them and he’s only trying to save his own neck. But beggars can’t be choosers and they need somebody since they don’t have Michelle. The core alliance consists of himself, Yau-Man, and Cassandra – he trusts them completely. Dreamz is a wild card and he doesn’t know if he trusts Mookie because he’s too manipulative. He’s going to have to really think about things, but he likes playing the game and he’s still here. Immediate cut to the reward challenge, where host Jeff Probst says they are going to test how in tune they are with the rest of the tribe. They will each answer a series of questions in private, he’ll tally the results, and we’ll go from there. The contestants are lined up and Probst will ask them the same questions again – but this time they will have to guess whose name came up the most often. Each time they get it right, they can smash another tribe member’s tower. When each of their three towers are gone, they’re out. Last person standing wins. Wins what? Glad you asked. An overnight stay on a 70-foot yacht with snacks, cocktails, BBQ, comfortable bed, etc. They will also send one person to Exile Island. And they’re off! The first question is who they would trust with their life. The most commonly-given answer by the group was Earl. Yau-Man, Cassandra, and Boo get it right. Cassandra asks if it’s just random, she can go after anybody and Probst says, “It’s not random – your reason, your choice.” So she smashes Stacy’s tower. I bet that felt good. Boo takes out Stacy’s second tower. Yau-Man makes it unanimous. She’s gone! Next question: Who are they least likely to invite to a family dinner? Boo is the correct answer, and he says, “Wow.” Cassandra, Mookie, Dreamz, and Alex get it right. Mookie emphasizes just how much Boo would not be welcome at dinner by smashing his tower. Dreamz does too. Alex follows suit and Boo is gone. But then Cassandra knocks out Alex’s first tower. I know Boo and Stacy were the first two designated to leave last week, but I also think it’s not bad strategy to pile on after a first blow has been struck. That way, the person whose tower you smashed cannot get revenge on you. Third question: Who most has a sense of entitlement? I’d say Alex, and so did the group. Cassandra and Mookie get it right. Cassandra takes out Alex’s second tower, but Mookie doesn’t finish the job, going after Earl instead. Well, that pretty well should tell Earl where Mookie stands. Fourth: Who would you most like to be stranded on an island with? The correct answer is Yau-Man. Everybody gets it right except Alex. Earl pays Mookie back (see what I meant above?). Mookie returns the favor. Dreamz takes out Alex. Edgardo does the same to Earl. Yau-Man hits Edgardo’s tower, while Cassandra knocks out Mookie’s second. Fifth question: Who do you not want to see again after Survivor? Everybody says Stacy, which is the correct answer. Well, that certainly has to make her feel good. For his part, Earl chuckles. Dreamz takes a while and then decides to smash Yau-Man’s tower. Edgardo takes no time to do the same thing. Yau-Man gets even with Dreamz. Mookie takes a big swing and smashes Cassandra’s tower. But then Cassandra takes him out of the game. Here’s an interesting question: Who smells the worst? Earl raises his hand from the sideline. Edgardo votes for himself; Yau-Man votes for Stacy; Cassandra and Dreamz pick Dreamz, and they are right. Cassandra knocks out Yau-Man while Dreamz brings Edgardo down to his last tower. I’m surprised at Cassandra – they could have knocked out Edgardo together. Who mistakenly believes they are in control of this game? Gotta be either Alex or Earl, and I’d lean towards Alex. Yup, that’s the correct answer, with Cassandra being the only one who is right. She knocks out Edgardo. Who has wasted this great opportunity? The correct answer is Stacy, and Cassandra gets it right. She obviously smashes one of Dreamz’ two remaining towers. And Stacy’s ego must be taking an even bigger smashing than the towers! Athletically, who has surprised them the most? Gotta be Yau-Man! Dreamz says Cassandra, but she picks Yau-Man and is right. Cassandra wins, never having missed a single question! Who does she send to Exile Island? Mookie. Interesting choice. I almost thought she’d send Stacy, just so none of them have to deal with her after they slammed her so badly. Probst pulls out a boarding pass for Cassandra to get on the yacht. Oh look, there are three more! Who will she bring along with her? Turns out she doesn’t have to decide now – she will choose back at camp. Mookie gets to Exile Island and tells us he is very irritated with Cassandra. “She has no idea who she’s messing with.” Oooooh, I’m sure she’s scared. He continues, saying she is quiet, “but in a deceiving, conniving way. She just made the worst mistake of her life.” Oh, I bet she didn’t. He looks at the clues again and realizes there must be two idols – the Moto tribe members were given the same clues as the Ravu tribe members. Earl came to Exile Island several times, so he’s “99% sure” Earl has the immunity idol. He is going to gun for Cassandra – call it revenge, but that’s what he wants to do. The others are back at camp and Cassandra is handing out the tickets. She gives one to Dreamz in a way that shows it is obvious he was going to get one. Boo gets another one. And Yau-Man gets the third. Cassandra tells us she invited those who she needs to align with, and she needs to know where Boo and Dreamz stand. Yau-Man is because he works hard and deserves a break. A dinghy picks them up and takes them to the yacht. They find a spread of food and drink, and dive in. Yau-Man later toasts to “The Syndicate,” apparently their alliance name, saying Boo is firmly with them and including Dreamz as well. Yau-Man still isn’t 100% sure Dreamz is on their side, though, so he is going to use this opportunity to “brainwash him.” That night, they are still drinking and Cassandra asks if they are all together in their alliance. The others give affirmations, but Dreamz just looks uncomfortable. Yau-Man the next one to go should be Alex, and Cassandra agrees, saying he’s playing a Harvard graduate game. Cassandra can tell just by looking at Dreamz that he is playing both sides and not 100% with their alliance. As a fireworks show begins for them, Dreamz tells us how he is the swing vote and has to decide which way to go. He knows Mookie has chosen to stay with the old four horsemen, but his own heart is telling him the group he’s with now is better. He doesn’t know what to do! When they get back the next day, Dreamz and Alex talk, with Dreamz telling him that his name will be put out there in the vote. Alex wonders what would happen if he uses the immunity idol and gets rid of one of them. Dreamz doesn’t know if Mookie will give up the idol, comparing his holding of it to Lord of the Rings and how the ring-bearer never wants to give it up. The two of them are talking at the water well, and Earl comes over looking for the pot, obviously finding the two scheming. Earl tells us there is a major part of him that wants to let Dreamz go because he keeps fraternizing with the person they’re talking about getting rid of! Later, Dreamz and Cassandra are talking, and Earl joins them. Cassandra tells him they aren’t sure which camp he’s in. Earl and Dreamz talk at each other, neither really getting anywhere – until Dreamz drops the bomb that Mookie has an immunity idol. Earl says Dreamz is trying to do a lot of strategizing on his own, which could be effective but casts doubt upon you if you don’t tell people what you’re up to. Yau-Man joins the discussion and tells us that Mookie’s possession of the idol makes him very nervous. What’s worse is that Alex and Edgardo know about it too. With that, we move to the immunity challenge, where yet another immunity idol will come into play! Mookie is brought back and Probst discusses the challenge. They will need use their arms to brace between two walls while their feet are positioned on very narrow footholds. Every 30 minutes, they step down to an even smaller foothold. Once they reach the third and final one, they will stay there as long as they can. If they fall off, they’re out. No hips, no back, no butt. Arms and feet only. I think Michelle would have rocked at this challenge, being as small as she is. That mean Stacy may do well; Yau-Man probably will too. Who won’t likely do well? Boo and Earl, for sure. And they’re off! Or on. Whatever. After 10 minutes in the hot sun, everybody looks okay. Probst says, “Edgardo looks like he could go all day,” and Mookie looks so comfortable he might be asleep. But Cassandra then goes out! After 22 minutes total, Edgardo is drumming out a beat on the walls. And then just jumps down! At the 30-minute mark, they move down to a foothold less than half an inch wide. Just as Probst is complimenting Mookie, he slips and almost falls, but recovers. Then Earl does fall. Probst polls the three losers and all agree that Stacy looks like she has the best chance to win. After a total of 41 minutes, Mookie joins the others on the bench. At the one-hour mark, they move down to the next foothold, which is less than a quarter inch wide. Dreamz is immediately struggling, and Alex falls. Dreamz follows closely. Stacy looks like she’s in pain – and she falls at the 75-minute mark. Boo almost goes a few times but keeps saving himself. It can’t last. He’s slipping and… he’s down! Yau-Man wins! I tell you, this guy rocks! Back at camp, Mookie continues his anti-Cassandra rant to us, saying she ruined the game for herself and her alliance. He’s going to vote them out one by one. The four horsemen talk and Mookie encourages them to vote against Earl. He knows Earl might have the hidden idol, but that means they need to take him by surprise so he doesn’t think to use it. When talking to Alex, Mookie is very certain of the order he wants to go for voting: Earl, Yau-Man, Boo. Dreamz wants to know if they’re sure Stacy is with them. We don’t see an answer, but we do see Stacy talking to Yau-Man and saying she has no idea what’s going on. She doesn’t know who she will vote for, but Yau-Man tells her to vote for anybody but Earl. If her heart will allow her, he wants her to vote out Alex, but if not, just not Earl. She doesn’t understand, thinking she’d be the only anti-Alex vote, but Yau-Man says she won’t be the only one. She says in that case, she’ll do it to save herself. But then she talks to Alex, who reminds her that he saved her last Tribal Council. He relates how Mookie wants to get rid of Earl. Is she in? She just sort of stares at him, claiming she doesn’t feel well because she’s really hot and tired. I don’t think Alex believes it, and she tells us she wants to vote with the majority. So who does she trust more? She doesn’t owe Alex anything – if saving herself means severing a tie, then that’s what she’ll do. Alex talks to Edgardo about the discussion, saying it seems like Stacy is out of it. Edgardo and Dreamz talk, with both thinking Stacy won’t stay with them. Edgardo says their only move is to have Mookie give Alex the idol, he’ll play it, and then Earl will leave. Now they just have to convince Mookie. Edgardo talks to him and Mookie tells us things have gotten very complicated. Yes, he could save Alex, but it’s early to use the idol. Still, Mookie retrieves the idol and passes it off to Alex. Alex assures him it will work. But they didn’t count on Dreamz the spy, who immediately tells the others that Mookie gave Alex the idol. So the group of Earl, Yau-Man, Cassandra, Boo, Dreamz, and Stacy agree to target Mookie instead. Edgardo then talks to Alex, but no, it’s not about changing the idol, rather it’s changing their target. He thinks they should go after Cassandra, who is the glue holding the other alliance together. Mookie agrees and they tell Dreamz. When Dreamz has left the anti-Mookie group, Stacy suggests that he might be playing them and trying to get them to vote against Mookie. So instead, if they target Edgardo, they’re safe – the others think they’re going after either Mookie or Alex, so this would hit them out of nowhere. Stacy also suggests they not tell Dreamz about the change. You know, Stacy might just be smarter than we’ve thought all this time! Meanwhile, Dreamz and Alex talk about how the others have no idea Alex has the immunity idol and they think Alex will go home. Alex says it’s a brilliant plan they have. Uh huh. Tell me that again in about 10 minutes. Dreamz the puppetmaster just smiles. The contestants arrive at Tribal Council and the jurors are brought in. Dreamz is asked if there was a mad scramble after they got back from the challenge. He says, “it was chaotic!” It’s the most chaotic day ever. Edgardo says right now, he doesn’t even know who is in the majority. He’s paranoid. Well, he is right to be! Yau-Man says this is the first time he’s come to Tribal Council with a regular heart rate and normal blood pressure. “That’s a good thing for an old man!” Heh. Mookie was gone two days and came back to chaos. He says there were tons of different names coming up, including himself. He just will have to use his own judgment. How does the way the hidden idol plays this season affect the way they will vote? Yau-Man too-honestly says if they suspect somebody has the idol, they should try to avoid voting for that person and instead target somebody in his alliance. How much time does Alex spend thinking about the idol in terms of his strategy? He says logically speaking, he suspects the people who have been to Exile Island, like Earl, are going to have it. So he should either avoid Earl or take out people in Earl’s alliance. Um, those are the same thing. How crazy is the vote going to be? Dreamz says it will determine “everything.” It will separate the snakes from the rats. With that, it’s time to vote. Dreamz votes for Mookie, because that was the plan before it was changed without him. Edgardo goes after Cassandra, saying they’ll see if this works. Probst tallies the votes. But before he reads them, Alex stands up and hands over the hidden immunity idol. Earl nods knowingly. Cassandra smiles. Probst explains that all votes cast for Alex do not count. Doesn’t matter, Jeff, ‘cus there won’t be any. So he reads the votes: Cassandra, Cassandra, Cassandra, Mookie, Edgardo (smiles on both Edgardo’s and Alex’s face fade while Rocky is looking excited in the jury box and Earl is smiling and nodding knowingly), Edgardo (Alex looks shocked), Edgardo (Yau-Man smiles), Edgardo (Edgardo looks at Dreamz, who is shaking his head like he doesn’t know what’s going on – which in a way, he doesn’t), and Edgardo. Mookie looks distraught. Edgardo gets up, rubs Dreamz’ head (it’s obvious Dreamz didn’t vote with them), shakes Alex’s hand, and brings up his torch for snuffing. Probst notes that Alex played the hidden idol though it turned out he didn’t need it. The idol will be re-hidden with new clues on Exile Island. Really? That’s interesting. Probst continues that the chaos of this Tribal Council is a great reminder that the game is “always in a state of flux.” With that, he sends them back to camp. In his final words, Edgardo says he is a little disappointed that Dreamz messed him up in the vote. His plan was all-or-nothing and it didn’t work out. But he tried his best and wishes the best of luck to most of them, though he notes that there are a couple people who don’t deserve the million dollars. And he hopes Cassandra will get voted off next because he doesn’t like her very much. Ooookay. Next week, Dreamz has some explaining to do after Alex accuses him of turning on them and Dreamz claims he didn’t. I can’t wait to hear that explanation! Mookie and Alex go through Yau-Man’s stuff and find that he has the other hidden immunity idol, which breeds a new plan. Not quite sure what it can be with them stuck in the minority, but we’ve already seen how quickly things can change! I have to say, this was a great episode! It was full of strategy and counter-strategy, and counter-counter-strategy! Some of the plotting came from people I would not have expected, like Dreamz and Stacy. Things could get verrrrry interesting!
Surviving Fiji, Episode 10: The Most Chaotic Day Ever by David Bloomberg -- 04/20/2007 There are two immunity idols in play, plus an immunity necklace. But even more importantly, there are several players in play who are, well, playing both sides! All this leads to what they all agree is the most chaotic day ever. How does it all turn out? Last week, we saw a twist that completely screwed Michelle (though there were of course other reasons for her loss as well) after Dreamz decided not to vote with Mookie. Why did he do that? We don’t know yet (though one of our writers gave it a guess). Hopefully, all will be made clear this week – though I doubt it. Let’s find out! The four remaining players from the Tribal Council group arrive back at camp that night as the others are guessing whether Michelle or Stacy are gone. Mookie tells us he’s upset because he had talked to Dreamz about voting off Stacy, but he went and voted off Michelle! He basically screwed them both. Mookie and Alex talk and Mookie convinces him it was just miscommunication and he thought they were sticking with the plan to get rid of Stacy first. But Alex wants to ensure the final four is sealed in blood (his words, not mine) – by rotating possession of the immunity idol so each of them get it for a day. Mookie says it does nothing, but Alex says it shows nobody can screw over the other. Um. Wrong. Once somebody other than Mookie has the idol, the other person can simply hold it and they can vote out Mookie. I sure as hell wouldn’t do it! Alex keeps up the pressure, saying they were all digging for it and Mookie happened to find it first. Now he’s saying he will only part with it on his terms. Mookie disagrees with that characterization, but we don’t get to see the resolution, if there is any. Mookie next talks to Dreamz, saying he’s screwed because of Alex wanting the idol. Dreamz says to tell him no, but Mookie says that means the four horsemen will be dead. Dreamz suggests they recruit because they have numbers elsewhere, but Mookie is getting incredibly frustrated and tells Dreamz he screwed up everything with his vote. Dreamz tells us when Michelle started talking, she said she doesn’t really know him and never hung around with him. That made him realize that the same is true in reverse and he didn’t really know what alliance she was in. It scared him a little, which caused him to vote her out. The next morning, Earl tells us he is very disappointed that Stacy came back and it turned all his plans around. Boo approaches Earl and suggests that he become the swing vote and they go to the final five with the two of them, Cassandra, Yau-Man, and Dreamz. All the others are backstabbers, he says. However, he doesn’t think Dreamz will help them vote out Alex first because he likes Alex. Earl tells us he doesn’t buy that Boo is with them and he’s only trying to save his own neck. But beggars can’t be choosers and they need somebody since they don’t have Michelle. The core alliance consists of himself, Yau-Man, and Cassandra – he trusts them completely. Dreamz is a wild card and he doesn’t know if he trusts Mookie because he’s too manipulative. He’s going to have to really think about things, but he likes playing the game and he’s still here. Immediate cut to the reward challenge, where host Jeff Probst says they are going to test how in tune they are with the rest of the tribe. They will each answer a series of questions in private, he’ll tally the results, and we’ll go from there. The contestants are lined up and Probst will ask them the same questions again – but this time they will have to guess whose name came up the most often. Each time they get it right, they can smash another tribe member’s tower. When each of their three towers are gone, they’re out. Last person standing wins. Wins what? Glad you asked. An overnight stay on a 70-foot yacht with snacks, cocktails, BBQ, comfortable bed, etc. They will also send one person to Exile Island. And they’re off! The first question is who they would trust with their life. The most commonly-given answer by the group was Earl. Yau-Man, Cassandra, and Boo get it right. Cassandra asks if it’s just random, she can go after anybody and Probst says, “It’s not random – your reason, your choice.” So she smashes Stacy’s tower. I bet that felt good. Boo takes out Stacy’s second tower. Yau-Man makes it unanimous. She’s gone! Next question: Who are they least likely to invite to a family dinner? Boo is the correct answer, and he says, “Wow.” Cassandra, Mookie, Dreamz, and Alex get it right. Mookie emphasizes just how much Boo would not be welcome at dinner by smashing his tower. Dreamz does too. Alex follows suit and Boo is gone. But then Cassandra knocks out Alex’s first tower. I know Boo and Stacy were the first two designated to leave last week, but I also think it’s not bad strategy to pile on after a first blow has been struck. That way, the person whose tower you smashed cannot get revenge on you. Third question: Who most has a sense of entitlement? I’d say Alex, and so did the group. Cassandra and Mookie get it right. Cassandra takes out Alex’s second tower, but Mookie doesn’t finish the job, going after Earl instead. Well, that pretty well should tell Earl where Mookie stands. Fourth: Who would you most like to be stranded on an island with? The correct answer is Yau-Man. Everybody gets it right except Alex. Earl pays Mookie back (see what I meant above?). Mookie returns the favor. Dreamz takes out Alex. Edgardo does the same to Earl. Yau-Man hits Edgardo’s tower, while Cassandra knocks out Mookie’s second. Fifth question: Who do you not want to see again after Survivor? Everybody says Stacy, which is the correct answer. Well, that certainly has to make her feel good. For his part, Earl chuckles. Dreamz takes a while and then decides to smash Yau-Man’s tower. Edgardo takes no time to do the same thing. Yau-Man gets even with Dreamz. Mookie takes a big swing and smashes Cassandra’s tower. But then Cassandra takes him out of the game. Here’s an interesting question: Who smells the worst? Earl raises his hand from the sideline. Edgardo votes for himself; Yau-Man votes for Stacy; Cassandra and Dreamz pick Dreamz, and they are right. Cassandra knocks out Yau-Man while Dreamz brings Edgardo down to his last tower. I’m surprised at Cassandra – they could have knocked out Edgardo together. Who mistakenly believes they are in control of this game? Gotta be either Alex or Earl, and I’d lean towards Alex. Yup, that’s the correct answer, with Cassandra being the only one who is right. She knocks out Edgardo. Who has wasted this great opportunity? The correct answer is Stacy, and Cassandra gets it right. She obviously smashes one of Dreamz’ two remaining towers. And Stacy’s ego must be taking an even bigger smashing than the towers! Athletically, who has surprised them the most? Gotta be Yau-Man! Dreamz says Cassandra, but she picks Yau-Man and is right. Cassandra wins, never having missed a single question! Who does she send to Exile Island? Mookie. Interesting choice. I almost thought she’d send Stacy, just so none of them have to deal with her after they slammed her so badly. Probst pulls out a boarding pass for Cassandra to get on the yacht. Oh look, there are three more! Who will she bring along with her? Turns out she doesn’t have to decide now – she will choose back at camp. Mookie gets to Exile Island and tells us he is very irritated with Cassandra. “She has no idea who she’s messing with.” Oooooh, I’m sure she’s scared. He continues, saying she is quiet, “but in a deceiving, conniving way. She just made the worst mistake of her life.” Oh, I bet she didn’t. He looks at the clues again and realizes there must be two idols – the Moto tribe members were given the same clues as the Ravu tribe members. Earl came to Exile Island several times, so he’s “99% sure” Earl has the immunity idol. He is going to gun for Cassandra – call it revenge, but that’s what he wants to do. The others are back at camp and Cassandra is handing out the tickets. She gives one to Dreamz in a way that shows it is obvious he was going to get one. Boo gets another one. And Yau-Man gets the third. Cassandra tells us she invited those who she needs to align with, and she needs to know where Boo and Dreamz stand. Yau-Man is because he works hard and deserves a break. A dinghy picks them up and takes them to the yacht. They find a spread of food and drink, and dive in. Yau-Man later toasts to “The Syndicate,” apparently their alliance name, saying Boo is firmly with them and including Dreamz as well. Yau-Man still isn’t 100% sure Dreamz is on their side, though, so he is going to use this opportunity to “brainwash him.” That night, they are still drinking and Cassandra asks if they are all together in their alliance. The others give affirmations, but Dreamz just looks uncomfortable. Yau-Man the next one to go should be Alex, and Cassandra agrees, saying he’s playing a Harvard graduate game. Cassandra can tell just by looking at Dreamz that he is playing both sides and not 100% with their alliance. As a fireworks show begins for them, Dreamz tells us how he is the swing vote and has to decide which way to go. He knows Mookie has chosen to stay with the old four horsemen, but his own heart is telling him the group he’s with now is better. He doesn’t know what to do! When they get back the next day, Dreamz and Alex talk, with Dreamz telling him that his name will be put out there in the vote. Alex wonders what would happen if he uses the immunity idol and gets rid of one of them. Dreamz doesn’t know if Mookie will give up the idol, comparing his holding of it to Lord of the Rings and how the ring-bearer never wants to give it up. The two of them are talking at the water well, and Earl comes over looking for the pot, obviously finding the two scheming. Earl tells us there is a major part of him that wants to let Dreamz go because he keeps fraternizing with the person they’re talking about getting rid of! Later, Dreamz and Cassandra are talking, and Earl joins them. Cassandra tells him they aren’t sure which camp he’s in. Earl and Dreamz talk at each other, neither really getting anywhere – until Dreamz drops the bomb that Mookie has an immunity idol. Earl says Dreamz is trying to do a lot of strategizing on his own, which could be effective but casts doubt upon you if you don’t tell people what you’re up to. Yau-Man joins the discussion and tells us that Mookie’s possession of the idol makes him very nervous. What’s worse is that Alex and Edgardo know about it too. With that, we move to the immunity challenge, where yet another immunity idol will come into play! Mookie is brought back and Probst discusses the challenge. They will need use their arms to brace between two walls while their feet are positioned on very narrow footholds. Every 30 minutes, they step down to an even smaller foothold. Once they reach the third and final one, they will stay there as long as they can. If they fall off, they’re out. No hips, no back, no butt. Arms and feet only. I think Michelle would have rocked at this challenge, being as small as she is. That mean Stacy may do well; Yau-Man probably will too. Who won’t likely do well? Boo and Earl, for sure. And they’re off! Or on. Whatever. After 10 minutes in the hot sun, everybody looks okay. Probst says, “Edgardo looks like he could go all day,” and Mookie looks so comfortable he might be asleep. But Cassandra then goes out! After 22 minutes total, Edgardo is drumming out a beat on the walls. And then just jumps down! At the 30-minute mark, they move down to a foothold less than half an inch wide. Just as Probst is complimenting Mookie, he slips and almost falls, but recovers. Then Earl does fall. Probst polls the three losers and all agree that Stacy looks like she has the best chance to win. After a total of 41 minutes, Mookie joins the others on the bench. At the one-hour mark, they move down to the next foothold, which is less than a quarter inch wide. Dreamz is immediately struggling, and Alex falls. Dreamz follows closely. Stacy looks like she’s in pain – and she falls at the 75-minute mark. Boo almost goes a few times but keeps saving himself. It can’t last. He’s slipping and… he’s down! Yau-Man wins! I tell you, this guy rocks! Back at camp, Mookie continues his anti-Cassandra rant to us, saying she ruined the game for herself and her alliance. He’s going to vote them out one by one. The four horsemen talk and Mookie encourages them to vote against Earl. He knows Earl might have the hidden idol, but that means they need to take him by surprise so he doesn’t think to use it. When talking to Alex, Mookie is very certain of the order he wants to go for voting: Earl, Yau-Man, Boo. Dreamz wants to know if they’re sure Stacy is with them. We don’t see an answer, but we do see Stacy talking to Yau-Man and saying she has no idea what’s going on. She doesn’t know who she will vote for, but Yau-Man tells her to vote for anybody but Earl. If her heart will allow her, he wants her to vote out Alex, but if not, just not Earl. She doesn’t understand, thinking she’d be the only anti-Alex vote, but Yau-Man says she won’t be the only one. She says in that case, she’ll do it to save herself. But then she talks to Alex, who reminds her that he saved her last Tribal Council. He relates how Mookie wants to get rid of Earl. Is she in? She just sort of stares at him, claiming she doesn’t feel well because she’s really hot and tired. I don’t think Alex believes it, and she tells us she wants to vote with the majority. So who does she trust more? She doesn’t owe Alex anything – if saving herself means severing a tie, then that’s what she’ll do. Alex talks to Edgardo about the discussion, saying it seems like Stacy is out of it. Edgardo and Dreamz talk, with both thinking Stacy won’t stay with them. Edgardo says their only move is to have Mookie give Alex the idol, he’ll play it, and then Earl will leave. Now they just have to convince Mookie. Edgardo talks to him and Mookie tells us things have gotten very complicated. Yes, he could save Alex, but it’s early to use the idol. Still, Mookie retrieves the idol and passes it off to Alex. Alex assures him it will work. But they didn’t count on Dreamz the spy, who immediately tells the others that Mookie gave Alex the idol. So the group of Earl, Yau-Man, Cassandra, Boo, Dreamz, and Stacy agree to target Mookie instead. Edgardo then talks to Alex, but no, it’s not about changing the idol, rather it’s changing their target. He thinks they should go after Cassandra, who is the glue holding the other alliance together. Mookie agrees and they tell Dreamz. When Dreamz has left the anti-Mookie group, Stacy suggests that he might be playing them and trying to get them to vote against Mookie. So instead, if they target Edgardo, they’re safe – the others think they’re going after either Mookie or Alex, so this would hit them out of nowhere. Stacy also suggests they not tell Dreamz about the change. You know, Stacy might just be smarter than we’ve thought all this time! Meanwhile, Dreamz and Alex talk about how the others have no idea Alex has the immunity idol and they think Alex will go home. Alex says it’s a brilliant plan they have. Uh huh. Tell me that again in about 10 minutes. Dreamz the puppetmaster just smiles. The contestants arrive at Tribal Council and the jurors are brought in. Dreamz is asked if there was a mad scramble after they got back from the challenge. He says, “it was chaotic!” It’s the most chaotic day ever. Edgardo says right now, he doesn’t even know who is in the majority. He’s paranoid. Well, he is right to be! Yau-Man says this is the first time he’s come to Tribal Council with a regular heart rate and normal blood pressure. “That’s a good thing for an old man!” Heh. Mookie was gone two days and came back to chaos. He says there were tons of different names coming up, including himself. He just will have to use his own judgment. How does the way the hidden idol plays this season affect the way they will vote? Yau-Man too-honestly says if they suspect somebody has the idol, they should try to avoid voting for that person and instead target somebody in his alliance. How much time does Alex spend thinking about the idol in terms of his strategy? He says logically speaking, he suspects the people who have been to Exile Island, like Earl, are going to have it. So he should either avoid Earl or take out people in Earl’s alliance. Um, those are the same thing. How crazy is the vote going to be? Dreamz says it will determine “everything.” It will separate the snakes from the rats. With that, it’s time to vote. Dreamz votes for Mookie, because that was the plan before it was changed without him. Edgardo goes after Cassandra, saying they’ll see if this works. Probst tallies the votes. But before he reads them, Alex stands up and hands over the hidden immunity idol. Earl nods knowingly. Cassandra smiles. Probst explains that all votes cast for Alex do not count. Doesn’t matter, Jeff, ‘cus there won’t be any. So he reads the votes: Cassandra, Cassandra, Cassandra, Mookie, Edgardo (smiles on both Edgardo’s and Alex’s face fade while Rocky is looking excited in the jury box and Earl is smiling and nodding knowingly), Edgardo (Alex looks shocked), Edgardo (Yau-Man smiles), Edgardo (Edgardo looks at Dreamz, who is shaking his head like he doesn’t know what’s going on – which in a way, he doesn’t), and Edgardo. Mookie looks distraught. Edgardo gets up, rubs Dreamz’ head (it’s obvious Dreamz didn’t vote with them), shakes Alex’s hand, and brings up his torch for snuffing. Probst notes that Alex played the hidden idol though it turned out he didn’t need it. The idol will be re-hidden with new clues on Exile Island. Really? That’s interesting. Probst continues that the chaos of this Tribal Council is a great reminder that the game is “always in a state of flux.” With that, he sends them back to camp. In his final words, Edgardo says he is a little disappointed that Dreamz messed him up in the vote. His plan was all-or-nothing and it didn’t work out. But he tried his best and wishes the best of luck to most of them, though he notes that there are a couple people who don’t deserve the million dollars. And he hopes Cassandra will get voted off next because he doesn’t like her very much. Ooookay. Next week, Dreamz has some explaining to do after Alex accuses him of turning on them and Dreamz claims he didn’t. I can’t wait to hear that explanation! Mookie and Alex go through Yau-Man’s stuff and find that he has the other hidden immunity idol, which breeds a new plan. Not quite sure what it can be with them stuck in the minority, but we’ve already seen how quickly things can change! I have to say, this was a great episode! It was full of strategy and counter-strategy, and counter-counter-strategy! Some of the plotting came from people I would not have expected, like Dreamz and Stacy. Things could get verrrrry interesting!